Father Franz Boas--Father of American Anthropology Essays -- essays pa

Father Franz Boas--Father of American AnthropologyFranz Boas is often referred to as the father ofAmerican anthropology because of the great influence he hadin the zippys and the careers of the next great times ofanthropologists in America. He came at a time whenanthropology was not considered a true science or even ameaningful right and brought an air of respectabilityto the profession, giving those who followed a passion andan example of how to hasten along anthropology. Boas directedthe arena studies and trained such prominent anthropologistsas Alfred Louis Kroeber, Robert Lowie, Margaret Mead, aswell as others. Although he did not leave as his bequest anyspecific line of vista, he left a sample that wasfollowed by numerous scientists in the next generation.Franz Boas studied physics and geographics in Germany andleft to pursue his hypothesis on was born and raised inGermany and studied physics and geography. After receivinghis doctorate in geography he left Germany and went toBaffin Island to test his hypothesis on Arctic geography. maculation he was there he became fascinated with the Eskimos andhow they lived. From then on he was no longer a geographerbut an Anthropologist. Boas was Jewish and was criticized all his emotional state aboutbeing Jewish. His work showed his resent custodyt ofAnti-Semitism, reflecting the belief that all men arecreated equal. At the time anthropology was based on thebeliefs of men corresponding Tylor and Spencer who believed inevolutionary theories that stated that some pot are to a greater extentevolved than others. They believed in categorizingdifferent cultures depending on how evolved they were. These men also did not do any field work, they receivedtheir information from missionaries, government officials,and other people who traveled the world. They categorizedcultures by putting them into a line startle withbarbarians and ending with white people. Anthropologiststhen ranked them depending on how civilized they thoughtthey were. They also felt that people at the high end ofthe line(whites) had wizard time been where these othercultures are and feel this sort of a psychical unitytowards them. Boas was the first anthropologist to do field work. Hebelieved it was essential to live with certain cultures toget the real feel of what they were like. He be... ...tists who were trying to get the larger picture. Boaswas interested in studying a very itty-bitty and specific windowof time, which came from the data that he collected while playing the field work he deemed necessary to analyze aculture. thither is no question that anthropology as a disciplineand as a science took on a new life after the arriver ofFrank Boas. Not only did anthropology gain respect in thescientific and the civilian world, but also it gainedrespect in the anthropological field as well. The work thatBoas performed, both in studies and in organization skills,were testaments to a man who has given so mu ch to thediscipline. He was able to deep influence a number ofthinkers and scientists in his own field the rigor of hismethods of work and get them to institute them across theboard for use by all anthropologists. Boas was able to do this not only for himself, but muchimportantly, for the generations of American anthropologistsafter him. The influence that he had on Mead, Radin, et. al.is quite rum and needs to be noted. Boas role andhonor as the head of American anthropology is welldocumented and most deserved.